Gregor Bolton
Gregor Bolton, more commonly known simply as Greg, was Lord of the Dreadfort and Head of House Bolton during the outbreak of the Second Dance, and served as a primary instigator of the events leading up to the War of the Second Cousins. A principle bannerman to Lord Bryce Stark, Gregor Bolton was slain during the Crimson Council by Torrhen Karstark, as retribution for his earlier murder of Karstark's uncle, Lord Torreg Umber. Biography The continued survival of Lord Gregor Bolton was one of the great miracles granted by the old gods. The eldest son of Lord Royce Bolton and his wife: Lyarra Whitehill, Greg Bolton was very young when he first showed signs of illness. When he was an infant, his father used to take him around the Dreadfort whilst he performed his lordly duties, including allowing his young son to accompany him down to the dungeons whilst he engaged in certain activities that would be frowned upon if they were revealed to the general public. Whilst this was meant to instill a young Greg with pride for his family traditions, and a sense of duty, it also had other, unexpected consequences. Cold, damp condition such as a castle's dungeons are not ideal for raising a child, a fact Lord Royce soon learnt when his son began to show the first symptoms of greyscale. Like any concerned father, Royce Bolton was desperate to find his son a cure, searching far and wide and bringing in medical practitioners from all over the known world, seemingly to no avail. The disease started in Greg’s right hand, though it quickly spread up his arm, covering the right side of his torso and much of his face. All hope seemed lost, and it appeared that Greg would soon succumb to the illness and die. Then it stopped. The worst was over. Known by many as the ‘Miracle of the Dreadfort’, the greyscale that had been afflicting Greg’s body simply stopped it’s spread and grew dormant, leaving the boy terribly deformed, but otherwise fairly healthy. A skeptical maester might attribute this miracle to one of the cures which Lord Royce had ordered be used, acting too slowly to be initially noticed, or simply greyscale’s tendency to not be fatal in infants, however Lord Rocye himself would proclaim that his son had been saved by the gods, and that he would be destined to achieve great things. The above led to Lord Royce taking a very active role in his son’s upbringing. His face concealed by a mask that hid his disfigurement, and his right hand amputated and replaced with a replica made of wrought iron, Greg was taught to fight with his left hand, a slow but ultimately successful process. Despite his clear disadvantages, Greg was a fairly competent academic as well as an accomplished huntsman and warrior. He would often enjoy tracking and killing his meals before he ate them, even going so far as to skin and prepare meat himself. Royce Bolton would pass away from an infection when Greg was seventeen years old, though not before teaching Greg a couple of useful skills and family secrets. This left Greg in charge of one of the most powerful lordships in the North, the Dreadfort. The Crimson Council and Death Gregor Bolton was one of the first of Bryce Stark's bannerman to arrive at Winterfell, where he was informed of the slight received by his cousin, Ser Rycherd Whitehill, whom had been turned down as a marriage candidate for Bryce's elder daughter. Bolton took a leading role in front of his fellow lords, and organised a hunt which was attended by several prominent northmen, including his cousin, and Lord Torrhen Karstark, This hunt would be interrupted by Lord Jaremy Reed, who informed the Lords of the mounting threat of armies building in the south, and Bolton would accompany Lord Reed back to Winterfell, where he would sit at the council of Lord Stark. Outraged at Bryce's disregard for his vassals, Bolton was one of the most outspoken northmen at the council, and attempted to taking a leading role, though his authority was undermined by Willow Stark and Lysara Manderly. Gregor was outwardly disgusted by the perceived cowardice of Torreg Umber, and embroiled himself in an argument with the man which would eventually lead Lord Bolton to murder the Umber in a fit of rage. Gregor would later be murdered himself by the blade of Torrhen Karstark. Bolton would be replaced as Lord of the Dreadfort by his sister, Leona. Quotes